Structural Material Manager

Configuring the Classic Material-Entry Screen

Structural Material Manager's classic material-entry screen can be configured so that it is displayed either full-screen or in a small window. Although it is displayed by default in a window, nearly all users prefer the full-screen view. Some do, however, prefer the windowed display despite its small size, as having the entry screen in a window allows them to simultaneously view windows from other applications (such as spreadsheets).

The directions in this page are legacy directions that do not apply to most users. For instance, if you are using Structural Material Manager Version 11.0 or higher under Windows NT 4.0, 2000, XP, Vista or newer, the directions in this page do not apply, and you should click here for the appropriate directions.

The legacy directions in this page apply only to the following cases which represent either special circumstances or outdated Structural Material Manager and/or Windows versions:

Structural Material Manager Version 11.0 or newer only if running under Windows 95, 98 or ME
Structural Material Manager Version 10.1 or older regardless of Windows operating system

If one of the two cases listed immediately above applies to you, then you can change the classic material-entry screen's display mode as follows:

Shut down Structural Material Manager.
Explore the EJE directory in which Structural Material Manager resides. One way to do this is to right-click (not left-click) the Start button to display a pop-up menu. Left-click on the Explore option that appears in that menu, and browse the drive on which the EJE folder is located. This will usually be Drive C: for local installations, but most any drive letter E: through Z: might apply if your Structural Material Manager system is accessed across a network.
Double-click the EJE folder to open it.
Windows Explorer splits the screen into two frames. On the right-hand frame, scroll down to until you find two program icons named EJESUBNT. One of them has an MS-DOS icon, and the other appears as a plain window.
Right-click (not left-click) the EJESUBNT item that appears as a plain window. Select Properties from the pop-up menu.
Click on the Screen tab to show the display options.
Select either full-screen or window, and apply your changes.
Exit from the properties dialog, and close Windows Explorer.
Launch Structural Material Manager, and experiment with the material-entry screen. You'll of course have to open a job, then select Material List | Enter / Edit Material. The screen should properly appear in the mode you selected, whether full-screen or windowed.
You may wish to experiment with the Alt-Enter key combination. While the entry screen is being displayed, hold the Alt key down, and hit Enter while Alt is still depressed. You can then release both keys. This Alt-Enter key combination toggles between the small window and full-screen mode.

If you are using Structural Material Manager Version 10.1 or older under Windows XP, Vista or newer, you might not be able to achieve full-screen operation even after following the directions presented above. It is possible that you will see an error message stating that your system does not support full-screen mode. You might even experience an issue in which the display goes completely black, and the system locks up, as Windows attempts to display the entry screen in full-screen mode. These issues sometimes arise because it has become increasingly difficult to obtain full-screen operation with Structural Material Manager's DOS-based classic material-entry screen as Microsoft Windows has evolved. The solution is to upgrade to Structural Material Manager Version 11.0 or higher. Despite the fact that it has become difficult to achieve full-screen display of the classic entry screen on newer Windows versions, the Version 11.0 Structural Material Manager system was redesigned to allow full-screen operation on most systems. Although success cannot be guaranteed in every case, most users will be able to very easily configure Versions 11.0 and higher for full-screen display of the classic entry screen. Contact E.J.E. Industries by sending an e-mail message to Sales@ejeindustries.com if you need to upgrade.

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